Video is Reinventing Education

Sal Khan, creator of Khan Academy is one of my favorite icons in the education world. Therefore, I was excited to watch Sal Khan’s TEDTalk on how video is reinventing education through the Flipped Classroom model. When I taught Sixth Grade Math, I was fascinated by Khan Academy and what it could do for my students.

After watching the 20 minute TEDTalk, there were a few key points that stuck out to me:

Film concepts that will never go old

Video removes the “one size fits all” classroom

Videos improve the “student to valuable time with the teacher” ratio

1. Film Concepts That Will Never Go Old

Sal Khan started creating Math videos to tutor his cousins. He mentioned that these videos he published on YouTube were open to the public and it was content that would never go old. While I agree with him for the most part, we also need to keep in mind that certain Math methods (and teaching methods for that matter!) can change over time. Therefore, as I create videos for my classroom, I need to remain open to updating or changing my videos over the years.

2. Video Removes the “One Size Fits All” Classroom

These toe socks are not a “one size fits all” item, are they? With the Flipped Classroom model, students are watching the lectures at home which leaves more time for activities in the classroom. This is moving us away from the “one size fits all,” lecture and it allows more differentiation for our students. Teachers are having students watch videos on Khan Academy, or they are creating the video assets themselves. This is something I will set as a goal for myself!

3. Videos Improve the “Student to Valuable Time with the Teacher” Ratio

Forget about the Student:Teacher ratio. Researchers are now focused on how the time is spent in the classroom and they have noticed that video allows the student to valuable time with the teacher ratio to improve. This is my favorite takeaway from the video–one that I will never forget!